Briggs finds positives as Ireland blown away by Black Fern blitz

Ireland Women 8 New Zealand Women 38

Tom Rooney

The scoreboard simply did not reflect what had unfolded over a relentless 80 minutes at a boisterous UCD Bowl, but the fact remains that the Ireland Women's side were handed their third consecutive loss of the first autumn series by a ruthless New Zealand outfit.

New Zealand players perform the Haka before their victory over Ireland in the Women’s International. Photo: Sportsfile

The scoreboard simply did not reflect what had unfolded over a relentless 80 minutes at a boisterous UCD Bowl, but the fact remains that the Ireland Women's side were handed their third consecutive loss of the first autumn series by a ruthless New Zealand outfit.

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Briggs finds positives as Ireland blown away by Black Fern blitz

Independent.ie

The scoreboard simply did not reflect what had unfolded over a relentless 80 minutes at a boisterous UCD Bowl, but the fact remains that the Ireland Women's side were handed their third consecutive loss of the first autumn series by a ruthless New Zealand outfit.

Head coach Tom Tierney will take some solace for the manner in which his side kept battling long after the game was over as a contest, but following the narrow loss to England, and last week's thumping from Canada, he'll have plenty of thinking to do ahead of the Six Nations.

Tierney had previously said he hoped to use the series as a means of blooding new players, while gauging his team against the top three sides in the world before next year's World Cup in Ireland.

With that in mind, captain Niamh Briggs said that the last month will stand them in good stead, while also paying tributes to some of the new faces that have emerged of late.

"We've learned over the past couple of weeks that the best sides in the world are very clinical and will live off those mistakes. But if we keep getting around the park and matching them physicality-wise, we're a match for any side in the world," the full-back explained